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Clear iSpot discontinued already
Well, that certainly didn't last very long, did it? Looks like Clear is already sending its unusual iSpot product to the great WiMAX network in the sky less than five months after its introduction. As a refresher, the iSpot's claim to fame is that it was designed to work only with iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads -- and in exchange for the crazy restriction, Clear would charge you less than $100 for the hotspot itself and just $25 a month for unlimited 4G access capped at 6Mbps down. Of course, it's easy to understand why Clear would want to forget the iSpot ever existed: its MAC address filtering was easily defeated and plagued with reports that even approved devices were being denied access, suggesting that the concept probably wasn't a solid one in the first place. For what it's worth, Clear retail stores are still selling through remaining stock if you're interested -- and the company will maintain a supply of units for warranty replacements -- but otherwise, you're out of luck. [Thanks, rand]
Clear iSpot gets easy web-based 'jailbreak'
For hackers, Clear must have known that its iSpot mobile hotspot would be hard to resist -- $100 for the device contract-free plus unlimited WiMAX for $25 a month is a pretty insane deal, after all, and the only catch is that they try to lock non-iOS devices out of the action. Indeed, it took mere hours for unlocks to start coming out of the woodwork, but now it's easier than ever: the developer of one of the original iSpot hacks has circled back to create a new unlock that requires nothing more than a couple link clicks while you're on a machine connected to the hotspot. How is that possible? Turns out there's a vulnerability that makes it possible to execute arbitrary commands on the iSpot through web code, and Clear hasn't yet updated the firmware to patch it. On that note, the developer tells us that there are actually some iPads that aren't able to connect to the iSpot without the hack, ostensibly because Apple is using some MAC addresses that the iSpot's current firmware isn't expecting -- so ironically, you might need this "jailbreak" just to use the thing the way Clear intended. As always with these sorts of things, proceed with caution -- we don't have an iSpot lying around to try this ourselves, so let us know how it goes.
Clear iSpot's device filtering falls to the hackers in near record time
We have absolutely no idea what this means for iSpot owners' service plans if they go through with this -- for all we know, they'll detect un-iPad-like amounts of usage and threaten to up your monthly fee -- but if you're the risky type and you've got an iSpot lying around, its pesky MAC filtering can be a thing of the past with just a tiny bit of effort. There's a blog out there that now has concise instructions posted for gaining root access on the hotspot and tweaking config files to obliterate the MAC filter and enable USB tethering (by default it'll only do WiFi), but if that's too much effort for you, another site -- cheekily named "iSpot instant jailbreak" -- just hooks you up with a binary that you can upload to the iSpot to take care of the filtering in one fell swoop. Again, proceed with caution, because it's anyone's guess how Clear is going to take all this. [Thanks, Travis] Update: We've pulled the iSpot instant jailbreak link after hearing reports that it might be doing more harm than good -- and there might even be some malicious intent involved because it apparently opens a backdoor that allows remote access to the admin console. Welcome to the seedy underbelly of device hacking, folks. Update 2: The creator of the iSpot instant jailbreak just reached out to us know that the remote admin issue was "an error on [his] part" and that the latest version of the config file has it removed; we've re-added the link to it, but as always with these sorts of things, use caution here and be ready for potential flakiness.
Clear iSpot review
Lately, the notion of getting Apple's ever-growing line of mobile devices connected to 3G and 4G networks is attracting a lot of attention from carriers that aren't AT&T -- take Sprint's Overdrive case for the iPad, for instance -- but not in a million years did we think Clear would go so far as to create a mobile hotspot designed exclusively for them. In some ways, that's taking respect for the Apple ecosystem to a whole new level. Of course, even the most die-hard Apple fanatics probably own a WiFi-capable device or three that doesn't hail from Cupertino, so the usefulness of Clear's iSpot is definitely limited -- by design, of course. In exchange for the gimping, you pay just $25 a month for unlimited, blazingly fast WiMAX data with no contract, which is insanely cheap by modern standards -- especially in an era when many carriers are moving to data caps. So just how useful is the iSpot? Does it work as advertised? And perhaps more importantly, can it be used to... ahem, do things it's not intended to do, if you catch our drift? Read on. %Gallery-99108%
CLEAR offers 4G iSpot mobile broadband to iDevice owners
Since the promise of unlimited 3G internet access via AT&T on the iPad has evaporated into the mist, the makers of various mobile WiFi hotspots have been nosing around the iStuff market with solutions aimed at iPad, iPod touch and iPhone users who don't want to pay full freight to AT&T. Up until now, the products or concepts we've seen have all been capable of supporting any WiFi-enabled device that you might want to use with them, but here's a new wrinkle: CLEAR has launched the iSpot, a version of the company's WiMAX Spot mobile connectivity device that is designed to work only with the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Yep, that's right -- you can't use your Mac or PC laptop with this lovely white broadband widget, just your iOS gear. Engadget reports that the iSpot is doing MAC filtering (that's Media Access Control, not Macintosh) to identify the legit devices. It may seem like a fairly onerous restriction (and one that could be worked around relatively easily by a savvy user), but it comes with a hefty benefit. The iSpot normally sells for $99, but it's on sale today for $29; monthly service for the device is $25 for unlimited data. That compares very favorably to CLEAR's monthly charge of $40 for unlimited access on its similar Spot device, which supports all sorts of WiFi clients. Of course, since the iSpot is a 4G-only device, it does you no good whatsoever if you're not covered by CLEAR. The company's footprint is growing, but it's far from ubiquitous; the iSpot is probably best for someone who's not planning to travel much with it. [via CNET]
Clearwire's 4G iSpot brings wireless broadband to Apple mobile devices (updated)
Check it out, Clearwire has decided to do up an Apple-centric version of its Spot 4G hotspot, so it's quite naturally fashioned it in the shape of a Magic Mouse and stuck an i prefix to the front of the device. Really, there's nothing new or Apple-exclusive that we can see here -- up to eight devices can hook up to this portable 4G emitter via WiFi and the only (see update) authentication required is a password. So yes, like a lot of products before it, the iSpot has done the ignoble thing of associating itself with iPhones, iPads and iPod touches just because those devices are considered the cool kids of the digital playground today. Then again, Clearwire might decide to be difficult and refuse to sell you one of those excellent-sounding $25 (pre-tax) a month 4G broadband packages that go with the iSpot if you don't have an i-something else in tow. If you're fancying this curvy little accessory for your mobile gear, it costs $99, but can be had for $29 on sale from Clear today, ahead of an August 10 launch at major retailers. Update: We followed up with Clearwire regarding authenticating with the iSpot. We're told that "the device is configured to filter based on MAC address which allows it to ID the Apple mobile devices," which explicitly means iPhones, iPads and iPod touches only.